Welcome to Ms. Swanson's Webpage
Here you can find regular email updates, newsletters, and more. I will update the site regularly, so please, check back.
Sept. 16
CHECK OUT LIBRARY BOOKS - REAL ONES!!
Exciting news! If you are in need of books, the Whittier Library is open for business! Fill out the form here and Mrs. Conley and Mrs. Snydacker will select books for you and have them ready on Thursday afternoon for pick up (there are also a limited number of home delivery spots). See the form or email Mrs. Conley at [email protected] with any questions - they're still working out logistics so she's happy to work with you as needed!
ART TO REMEMBER!!
Hi Families and Friends,
Our school is participating in a creative fundraiser with Art to Remember that allows you to purchase keepsake products customized with your child's art. There are over 60 products and many are less than $15. These make great gifts and a percentage of every purchase goes right back to our school. The exciting part is that you can select any piece of artwork from home! You can use art from e-learning, choose a piece from earlier in the year, or create something new. Just click on the link below, search for your child's name, and upload the piece of artwork you selected. You can upload additional pieces and save them in a digital family gallery. Have fun creating and shopping!
https://arttoremember.com/school/LWMJ8D
Sept. 14 - AN EMAIL FROM OUR PTO LIASONS ABOUT THE WHITTIER WEAR SALE
Hello Swanson families!
Elizabeth and I will be the PTO parent liaisons for the class. Things will be different this year however, we hope to assist in keeping programs and events throughout the year.
Please note the following from a recent PTO communication:
Virtual Learning Whittier Wear Sale Starts September 16!
The Whittier Wear sale will begin on September 16, 2020, the same day of Whittier’s Curriculum Night. You will be able to purchase Whittier wear for the next two weeks. This includes Whittier t-shirts for men, women, and children, as well as hoodies and performance shirts. Get your order in to dress your whole family! Sale ends 9/30, and purchases will ship shortly thereafter. Remember that every Wednesday is Whittier Wear Wednesday, so make sure to purchase a Whittier Wear item to show your Whittier pride.
Click here to buy your Whittier Wear!
https://www.customink.com/fundraising/whittierschool
Chris Carrier
Sept. 12
Here is the 3rd grade newsletter.
Sept. 8
I have a couple of requests to help alleviate our frustration, but all of these requests won't be for everyone. Please check your child's iPad to check on each of these things. If you could work on these things tonight, that would be very helpful.
1. Book Creator - we started using Book Creator today. Some iPads already had it downloaded, but not all of them. The students should have started a book, My Favorite Things (or a title like that). If they do not have the app, they should go to Self Service , search for Book Creator and download it. If they have the stamina, they can start working on their book. They will need to take pictures and write about 3-4 different things. This doesn't have to be done tonight, but a start would be helpful.
Here is a video about how to use Book Creator.
2. We tried to submit our first Math Problem Set today. Some students did fine with the work, but others needed more help. Please check to see if your child finished their work (p.1-2) and if they submitted both pages. They will have to take a picture of the work.
Here is a video on how to do that--submitting work by taking a picture.
3. We used Padlet today with mixed success. The problem was getting in. They get in through Google Classroom. There were two Padlets today and the one I am interested in tonight is "Where is Your Favorite Spot to Read?" It can be found in the stream in GC or under Classwork. If you are in Classwork, scroll down below Tools and Resources to Tues., Sept. 9. Touch the assignment, then touch the link and it should talk you right there. To add a post, the + sign is in the bottom right corner.
I really appreciate any and all efforts with these things.
Sept. 7
Hello Families,
We are off and it is turning out to be an adventure! Your children did a great job with week 1 and I'm looking forward to whatever week 2 brings. Thank you for setting your children up for this experience. They seem to be "coming to school" dressed, having eaten, and ready to work!
I am sorry about this long email, but here are some reminders and requests to help with next week....
Learning Spaces
Please make sure your child has a solid spot to place their iPad on for remote learning. Holding their iPad or laying with it, doesn't work well. I love to see their faces to help me understand their level of engagement. Their space should have learning bin materials and any other school materials you may have gathered for them. Having a small container or bag of books that they pick out themselves (if available) would be an added bonus. If possible, their learning space should be in a gathering place in your home that is free from distraction (if possible--I do realize, based on my own home, that this can be tricky). If there are distractions headphones are the best way to reduce those distractions.
Snacks
As the week went on, I noticed students snacking during our class time. I realize how easy it is to grab a snack and eat it during a meeting, but please limit your child's snacks to our morning and afternoon breaks.
Google Classroom and Submitting Assignments
Next week students will be able to access assignments via the Google Classroom-Classwork section. We will use the Classwork section throughout the day to find and complete assignments. I will give feedback on their assignments in a timely manner and students will get a message from me about their work. With many assignments, students will have to take a picture and upload photos to GC. We practiced this last week and will review with students how to do it again. So far, this has gone well!
Math
This week we will start Unit 1 in Eureka Math. Students will be completing assignments out of the yellow Module 1 workbook which is an introduction to multiplication. Students may need to use manipulatives to help learn this concept and to work on their daily assignments. We are asking the families to help their child find objects around your house they can use as counters. These manipulatives should be small and something you have in large quantity (dried beans, buttons, pebbles, pennies, or small dried pasta). Put the manipulatives (about 50 or so) in a small container and students can keep them in their yellow learning bin.
Homework
With these long Zoom days, homework will be minimal, with the exception of nightly reading. Math HW is in the yellow Math book and families can decide if they want their child to do it or not. But, regular reading is crucial to developing and maintaining reading skills. Nightly reading for 20-30 min. should be a regular practice.
Clever App
The Clever app (Blue with a white C) is on your child's device. Students have access to some wonderful apps via Clever (Reading A-Z, Moby Max Math, Khan Academy-Math, etc.). Once you log in, students can access the apps. Please follow the steps below or watch this video--How to log-in to Clever
Step 1. Logging into Google on the student iPad before trying Clever (if you haven't done this yet)
Step 1: The student device needs to be logged into Gmail in order to use some of the other
apps easily. Open Google Drive and log in using the sheet given to you during device pick
up. This video shows you how to do it on the iPad.
Step 2: Log into Clever
Open the Clever App
Click on the blue box, log in with username or password
Search for Whittier as the school
Click on the Rainbow G (Log in with Google)
Click their name
And then they are in!
Extra Break Needs
I realize that everyone's remote learning environment looks different and that each child is unique and may need more breaks than what is provided. If your child is in need of more frequent breaks, please let me know and we can set up a system so I know what is going on with your child during the day. Several times this week, students have disappeared and then returned after directions have been given and this can be frustrating for them.
Video On/Off Information
I respect your child's need for privacy, but I would love them to keep their video on as much as possible. I understand that there may be circumstances that cause them to have the video off. That being said, please send me an email if your child has sensitivity to having their video on.
Attendance
I take attendance every morning and share that with the Whittier office. If your child is leaving early for the day, please let me know. We are trying our best to monitor attendance, but it's tricky. Lunch ends at 12:15 and the students have done a very good job returning on time from lunch and breaks!
Important Guidance
We are unable to allow parents to log on to Zoom via their personal device. If your child's iPad is unable to log on to Zoom you can use your personal device, but families/pod leaders/support staff/etc. are not allowed to be on a zoom call using a seperate device.
Thank you so much for your support last week. I appreciate your encouraging words and patience. As always, if you need anything please let me know. On to week two!
Sept. 2
I'm here to report good progress!! We finished our second day a little smoother than our first! Our morning started off very well. We worked hard and efficiently. You may have heard about tech frustrations and they are real. If we were in school, I would just walk over to someone and help with the login, show them where the "plus" sign is, or correct a password mistake. That said, we are in the process of figuring things out to have as smooth a day as possible!
We are working on building our classroom community as we would if we were at Whittier. The students did a nice job sharing things from last night's scavenger hunt. If your child didn't have a chance to gather 4-5 favorite things, they can do it tonight. Only 4-5 kids are sharing at a time over the next few days to help make sure we are really listening to one another. We will finish by Friday.
Please keep in contact with me as things arise. Over the weekend, I may request that you try and log in to some different apps....that would help us a lot! I'll keep you posted.
Hope all is well and thanks for your support!
Aug. 29
Happy Saturday!
We hope your week went well and you have a few relaxing plans for the weekend. We are looking forward to starting the school year with our students. It was great to have some face time with students and parents this week. Please keep in contact with questions that come up.
Hopefully, everyone was able to pick up their student bin and iPad on Thursday. In not, please contact Ms. Richardson in the office. In the envelope with the iPad, there is important information you will need to set up your child's iPad (connecting to WiFi, setting up Gmail accounts, etc...). Please make sure you complete those tasks by Monday morning at the latest. Here is the link to the iLearn 97 Remote Learning Support for K-5. There are videos with step by step instruction to help families with setting up your student's iPad.
Once you've completed these tasks, please join our Google Classroom. If it's not already on your iPad, you'll have to add it. If it's there, go to 1c.
Here are the steps to add Google Classroom to iPad home screen.
1a Go to Self Service button
1b. Search for Google Classroom and install.
1c. Click on this link, How to log-in with a class code to Google Classroom for the remaining directions. You will need a class code to complete this process.
Our class code is 5b3nih5
Then
Step 2: Log into Clever. By doing this, students will stay logged in and won't have to sign in to everything every time.
Open the Clever App
Click on the blue box, log in with username or password
Search for Whittier as the school
Click on the Rainbow G (Log in with Google)
Click their name
And then they are in!
How to log-in to Clever
You are all set!!! Our goal is to have Zoom and Google Classroom ready to go by Monday morning so that on Tuesday morning (8:00 am!) we can get started as efficiently as possible. Please let me know if you run into difficulties. (I'm not sure I can fix them, but I can direct you to help.)
Our adventure begins!! Thanks for all your support!
Aug. 21
Welcome to 3rd grade! The 3rd grade team is hard at work getting ready for this unusual start to our year and I'm very happy to be spending this year with your child. I have attached a letter for your child from myself . We will have individual "Meet and Greet" sessions next week. Please sign up here. I look forward to meeting all of the students then and hopefully you too!
Please complete this form to help us learn more about your 3rd grader. Thanks for helping us get to know your child better in these unusual circumstances.
Looking forward to a fun and productive year!
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